Islamabad, Apr 17, 2025: The European Union has introduced a new proposal identifying seven countries as “safe” in an effort to accelerate the deportation process of failed asylum seekers.
This measure is intended to help reduce the current backlog of asylum applications across member states.
The proposed list includes India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Colombia, and Kosovo.
If approved by both the European Parliament and EU member nations, this classification will make it more difficult for citizens from these countries to claim asylum within the bloc.
This proposal has sparked criticism from human rights organizations, which argue that the move undermines individual refugee protections.
By presuming that asylum claims from these countries lack validity, EU governments could fast-track rejection decisions.
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Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated that quickening asylum verdicts is essential as many nations face mounting pressure from rising numbers of undocumented arrivals.
Although the list aims to streamline procedures, the European Commission acknowledged that exceptions must be made in specific cases—such as in the event of war or political turmoil, like in Ukraine.
Furthermore, while some EU candidate countries technically meet safety criteria, their inclusion remains subject to ongoing evaluation.
This strategy is not new. A similar list was floated in 2015 but was dropped due to disagreements over Türkiye’s inclusion. The current draft can be expanded or revised over time depending on migration trends and country-specific developments.
Some EU countries, like France, already maintain their own safe-country lists.
France’s includes nations like Serbia, Mongolia, and Cape Verde. The goal of the new proposal is to create a unified standard across all EU states, though individual countries can still add more nations to their national lists.
Importantly, each asylum case will still be reviewed individually to protect against unlawful rejection. Nonetheless, critics fear this could lead to blanket decisions and weaken refugee protections.
Advocacy groups have raised alarms about including countries with documented human rights abuses, such as Tunisia and Egypt.
According to Frontex, illegal border crossings into the EU dropped by 38% last year to 239,000.
Still, with return rates under 20%, leaders—especially from Italy, Denmark, and the Netherlands—are pushing for swift action.
In response, the EU is considering external return centers and stricter repatriation protocols.
Italy’s Interior Minister welcomed the move as a diplomatic win, claiming it reinforces efforts to tackle irregular migration effectively.
